Category: History

Hop, Skip and Jump

The seasons and the weather change; there’re always new things to see and the river has many moods. Now I talk, sometimes, to other dog owners. Recently I met a Dutch Shepherd puppy with his Swedish/Japanese owners. Overhearing other towpath walkers, I seldom hear English. London, at its best, is a cosmopolitan, civilised place to… Continue reading Hop, Skip and Jump

Midnight in Minsk

y Every Picture Tells a Story Sveltana Alexievich has a flat in this apartment building. She knows how to tell a story. She has written about the Second World War, sorry The Great Patriotic War, the war in Afghanistan and Chernobyl. Her technique is to interview people and tell the story through their words. This… Continue reading Midnight in Minsk

East West Street

Philippe Sands QC, a British and French international lawyer, professor of law at University College London, commentator and author has written a remarkable book: East West Street.

Arms and the Man

Arma virumque cano  (of arms and the man I sing) as Virgil puts it so succinctly in the Aeneid. A reader tells me a schoolboy hazarded this translation: “I sing of arms, men and dogs, sir”. I cannot sing but I do want to flaunt my Arms. The late Sir Iain Moncreiffe in Simple Heraldry, Cheerfully… Continue reading Arms and the Man

Thank You, Plum

September was a good month for Wodehousians. On the 20th we assembled in Westminster Abbey for Evensong and then, in a state of Grace but not Monaco, the Duke of Kent presented a memorial to PGW to the Dean, who dedicated it.

The Men Who Built Downing Street

Many Prime Ministers have left their stamp on Downing Street, starting with Walpole who hired William Kent. The next significant intervention was by Robert Jenkinson. Who?

News from Downing Street

An unexpected invitation to Downing Street yesterday. A few privileged people working there could ask friends and family and show them round.